Food slicing apparatus, blade and method

• US 5,988,033 A
• Filed: 11/27/1996
• Issued: 11/23/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kraft Foods Group Brands LLC (The Kraft Heinz Company)
• Original Assignee: Kraft Foods Incorporated (Mondelez International, Inc.)
• Inventors: Watson, Timothy T., Glennon, Robert B., Wicke, Greg C., Skaar, Gary R., Gundlach, Larry C., Flisram, Dennis G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rachuba, M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PRYOR, SEAN AUGUSTUS
• Application Number:
  US08/757,224
• Time in Patent Office: 1,091 Days
• Field of Search: 83/355, 83/437.1, 83/444, 83/596, 83/665, 83/666, 83/676, 83/932, 83/340, 83/342, 83/672
• US Class Current: 83/596
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 1/0006 Cutting members therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 2001/002 Materials or surface treatments therefor, e.g. composite materials
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 2001/0046 rotating continuously about an axis perpendicular to the edge
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 2001/0053 having a special cutting edge section or blade section
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 2001/006 the cutting blade having a special shape, e.g. a special outline, serrations
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/01 Means for holding or positioning work
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/0625 by endless conveyors, e.g. belts
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 83/932 Edible
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/4827 With helical cutter blade
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/8796 Progressively cutting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/9394 Helical tool
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/9403 Disc type

Abstract

Apparatus, device and method for improved slicing of large food sticks, loaves and the like are provided. A slicing blade which has a top flat surface or top flat land width along its cutting edge provides generally longitudinal forces on the food product being sliced, which forces are in a direction generally opposite to the direction through which the food products are fed through a slicing apparatus. The slicing blade includes a bottom primary bevel land width surface and an advantageous primary angle for imparting improved stack and slice uniformity and for controlling package overfill. The slicing blade also exhibits a long slicing blade surface which follows an Archimedean spiral. The invention is particularly important in improving handling of large luncheon meat sticks, especially non-frozen, high water content and reduced fat content luncheon meat sticks. Fast feed rates can be practiced without experiencing jamming, yields are increased, slice and stack quality and sizing are made more consistent and repeatable, slicing line utilization is enhanced, and sanitary conditions are more easily maintained.

Claims

1. An apparatus for slicing food sticks, comprising:

a slicing assembly for severing large sticks of food products into slices and stacking said slices into stacks of slices;

means for feeding a food stick to the slicing assembly;

an orifice for receiving and generally laterally supporting a leading portion of said food stick during slicing, said orifice having an opening through which said food sticks pass;

said slicing assembly has a blade member, said blade member engages said food stick and severs said food stick into said slices, said blade member having a generally concave, non-severing body portion and a severing edge portion, said severing edge portion having a flat portion radially projecting beyond said non-severing body portion and defining an outermost perimeter severing edge of said edge portion;

said orifice being located upstream of said blade member;

said outermost perimeter severing edge having a severing profile which follows an Archimedean spiral pattern having a plurality of adjacent radii which increase at a constant rate;

said flat portion of the severing edge portion of the blade member is a top flat surface which engages said food stick and is generally parallel to the cut surface of the food stick being sliced, said top flat surface having an average width adequate to impart a holding force to generally longitudinally support said food stick which it engages when said blade member severs the food stick into slices, said average width of the top flat surface being not less than about 0.1 inch;

said edge portion further having a bottom primary bevel land width surface which has an average width of between about 0.030 inch and about 0.120 inch, said bottom primary bevel surface and said flat top surface together define a primary angle, said primary angle being between about 28° and

about 45°

; and

said orifice and said top flat surface combine to engage and support the food stick during slicing, said orifice laterally supporting the leading portion of the food stick and said top flat surface simultaneously supporting, in a direction generally perpendicular to the lateral support by the orifice, the surface of the food stick being cut.

2. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said primary angle is between about 29°

and about 35°

.

3. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said primary angle is about 30°

±

1°

.

4. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said bottom primary bevel land width surface has an average width of between about 0.050 inch and about 0.085 inch.

5. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said bottom primary bevel surface has an average width of about 0.070 inch±

0.010 inch.

6. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said primary angle is between about 29°

and about 40°

, said bottom primary bevel land width surface has an average width of between about 0.040 inch and about 0.110 inch, said average width of the top flat surface is between about 0.1 inch and about 0.2 inch, said blade member further includes a bottom secondary bevel surface located radially inwardly of said bottom primary bevel surface, and said bottom secondary bevel surface defines, together with said top flat surface, a secondary angle of between about 0° and

about 30°

.

12. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said food stick which is fed by the means for feeding and which is engaged and severed by said blade member has a temperature between about 24°

F. and about 36°

F., which temperature is at or above the freeze point of the food stick.

13. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said food stick of said means for feeding and which said blade member engages and severs is unfrozen and at an internal temperature equal to or greater than 30°

F.

14. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said radii of said Archimedean spiral pattern are defined by the formula r=K(n°

)+J, wherein r is each radius defining the spiral, n°

is the angular displacement of each radius from a reference radius, K is a constant rate at which the spiral radii increase, and J is a constant length representing displacement from blade center.

15. The apparatus in accordance with claim 6, wherein said secondary angle is between about 10°

and about 20°

.

16. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said food stick of the means for feeding is a large stick of luncheon meat having a high water content of at least about 70 percent by weight, based on the weight of the stick.

17. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said food stick of the means for feeding is a large stick of luncheon meat having a fat content of about 10 percent by weight or less.

18. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said food stick of the means for feeding is a large stick of luncheon meat which has a high water content of at least about 75 percent by weight and a low fat content of about 2 percent by weight or less.

19. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said food stick of the means for feeding is a large stick of luncheon meat having a fat content of about 2 percent by weight or less.

7. A slicing blade for slicing food sticks, comprising:

a generally concave non-severing body portion for mounting the slicing blade onto a slicing apparatus;

a severing edge portion extending in a generally peripheral manner from said body portion;

said severing edge portion has a top flat surface radially projecting beyond said generally concave non-severing body portion and defining an outermost perimeter edge of said severing edge portion;

said severing edge portion having a severing profile which follows an Archimedean spiral pattern having a plurality of adjacent radii which increase at a constant rate;

said top flat surface engages a food stick sliced by the blade so as to be generally parallel to the cut surface formed while the food stick is being sliced, said top flat surface having an average width adequate to impart a holding force to generally longitudinally support the food stick which it engages when the blade member severs the food stick into slices, said average width of the top flat surface being equal to or greater than about 0.1 inch;

said edge portion has a bottom primary bevel land width surface which has a width along its entire length that is between about 0.030 inch and about 0.120 inch, said width of the bottom primary bevel surface being not greater than said width of the top flat surface; and

said bottom primary bevel surface, together with said top flat surface, defines a primary angle, said primary angle being between about 29° and

about 35°

.

8. The slicing blade in accordance with claim 7, wherein said primary angle is about 30°

±

0.5°

.

9. The slicing blade in accordance with claim 7, wherein said bottom primary bevel surface has an average width of between about 0.050 inch and about 0.085 inch.

10. The slicing blade in accordance with claim 7, wherein said edge portion further includes a bottom secondary bevel surface located radially inwardly of said bottom primary bevel surface which, together with said top flat surface, defines a secondary angle, and said secondary angle is between about 0°

about 30°

.

11. The slicing blade in accordance with claim 10, wherein said secondary angle is between about 10°

and about 20°

.